In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds, Bryan and Josh dive into the cozy corner of gaming with two titles redefining what it means to “play” in the background: Rusty’s Retirement, the low-screen-real-estate Stardew that keeps your crops thriving while you multitask, and Spirit City: Lo-Fi Sessions, a beautiful blend of productivity and play that turns your to-do list into an aesthetic experience. We’ll unpack how these games fit (or don’t fit) into our lives, explore why ambient gaming is on the rise, and debate whether these functional, low-pressure titles are the future of the cozy game trend or just a passing vibe. Along the way, we’ll touch on the fascinating stories of their developers, the design philosophies behind these multitask-friendly experiences, and how they blur the line between tool and entertainment. Tune in as we break down what makes these experiences so compelling even as they push you away to go do other things.

Three Word Reviews:

Spirit City: Lo Fi Sessions

Bryan - Chill Life Admin

Josh - A Different Drummer

Rusty's Retirement

Bryan - Second Screen Stardew

Josh - Chill Garden Party

Music Used:

To the Beach by Mondo Loops

Vermillion Cliffs by Odem Medo

Last River by InternalEye

When Stars Lit Up the Sky by lost.mindd

Lars Asger - Carrot

Lars Asger - March of the Machines

Lars Asger - Seven Minus Two

Lars Asger - Sun Beam

Lars Asger - Stream

Early Garden - Secret Messages

Coastal Moods - MujjO

In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds Bryan and Josh explore Metal Garden, a short but atmospheric indie FPS from solo Croatian developer Alexandra Herout aka Tinerasoft. Set in a crumbling megastructure reclaimed by nature, the game blends old-school shooting mechanics with immersive environmental storytelling, subtle lore, and haunting mid-2000s aesthetics. Ammo scarcity, limb damage, and weighty weapons make every encounter tense, while double-jump platforming and cryptic logs reward exploration with glimpses into a forgotten Dyson-scale civilization. The game’s sparse dialogue and ambient sound design evoke a sense of isolation and scale far beyond the game's runtime. So tune in as we dive into Metal Garden's bleak beauty and brutal combat while pondering the lingering question: Why do we keep descending?

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Subtlety is Key

Josh - Small Rusty Flower

In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds, Bryan and Josh plunge into the pachinko-powered chaos of Peglin and Ballionaire: Two roguelikes that reimagine physics-based randomness as strategic gameplay. From Peglin’s fantasy-infused, Slay-the-Spire-meets-Peggle mechanics to Ballionaire’s neon-drenched, idle arcade spectacle, they discuss how each title transforms the humble falling ball into a vehicle for experimentation, synergies, and absurd score-chasing. Along the way, they dive into the history and design choices behind each game, compare their approaches to randomness and agency, and ask whether these games elevate pachinko or merely dress it up in genre trappings. It’s a rollicking discussion full of crit builds, capitalist satire, and enough bouncing orbs to make Peggle proud.

Three Word Reviews:

Peglin:

Bryan - Adaptation, Not Evolution

Josh - Ball and Chain

Ballionaire:

Bryan - Overwhelming Chaotic Spectacle

Josh - Flashy, Shiny, Flat

In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds, Bryan and Josh dive into Umurangi Generation, the vibrant, potent, and subversive photography game from Māori developer Naphtali Faulkner. Set in a near-future Aotearoa (New Zealand) under invasion and authoritarian control, the game asks players not to save the world, but to document its unraveling. Bryan and Josh explore how Faulkner’s anger at systemic failure, fueled by the bushfires and pandemic response, shapes the game’s unapologetic aesthetics, themes, and searing environmental storytelling. From graffiti-covered skate parks to militarized train stations, every frame you capture is an indictment, not an escape.

Bryan and Josh also discuss Umurangi Generation’s unique take on photography as play, protest, and preservation. Through its deliberately clunky movement, time-bound challenges, and varied levels, the game interrogates the tension between art and commerce, beauty and collapse. As Māori language and culture saturate its design, Umurangi Generation’s world feels deeply personal and localized, yet globally resonant. This isn’t a story of revolution or heroism—it’s a quiet, furious insistence on witnessing collapse. Join us as we unpack how Umurangi Generation turns a camera into a weapon of truth in a world on the brink.

Show Notes:

Interview containing the Quote Bryan shared: The Umurangi Generation is Asking You To Care

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Documenting the Fall

Josh - Afraid of Judgement

In this episode of Pixelated Playgrounds, Bryan and Josh jack into the neon-drenched, yet utterly dismal world of Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red’s ambitious yet turbulent foray into dystopian sci-fi. Based on Mike Pondsmith’s classic tabletop RPG, the game places players in the boots of V, a mercenary struggling to survive in the megacity of Night City while sharing brain space with a digital ghost. From bugs to bikes, dialogue quirks to faction dynamics, Josh and Bryan dissect how Cyberpunk 2077 blends cyber-noir tropes, world-building, and RPG systems, even as it wrestles with its own lofty promises and troubled launch.

We’d be remiss to leave out the game’s deep character cast and the player-driven story arcs that branch through romances, alliances, and explosive conclusions. They also break down the nuts and bolts of gameplay, from combat builds and progression to stealth, hacking, and high-octane firefights. Along the way, they examine the design of Night City itself—its architectural storytelling, traversal options, and sense of place. Whether you're a Nomad, Corpo, or Street Kid, this spoiler-filled discussion digs into the chrome and circuitry of what makes Cyberpunk 2077 flawed, fascinating, and, at times, pretty preem.

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Necessary Human Element

Josh - The Spaces Between

In this episode Josh and Bryan have a relatively timely (for them) discussion of 2025’s surprise indie hit Blue Prince! Blue Prince puts you in the shoes of Simon P. Jones, a boy who recently willed the Mt. Holly Estate, a mansion owned by his deceased great uncle Herbert S. Sinclair. There’s one catch: Simon must locate a hidden 46th room within the mansion in order to secure his inheritance. In addition to this challenge the estate’s rooms continually reset and re-arrange each day. What starts as a card drafting puzzle asking the player to connect the right rooms to open the way to the 46th room evolves quickly into a nested and broad ranging puzzle to unravel the mysteries of the Mt. Holly Estate and the family that has occupied it.

Bryan and Josh very much enjoyed their time unravelling the game’s puzzles, but came away with differing opinions on how it made use of its intricate backstory, mind-bending puzzles, and random generation elements. Overall, both agree that this was a game worth experiencing for the novel ways it combined its gameplay focuses and storytelling methods. So grab your magnifying glass and get ready to investigate the Mt. Holly Hill Estate with Josh and Bryan as they discuss Blue Prince!

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Roguelike Epistemic Crisis

Josh - Puzzle Versus Roguelike

In this podcast Josh and Bryan hit the road! … And the road hits back! While crisscrossing the fictional countryside in YCJY Games’ Keep Driving both of our hosts recorded their fair share of stories and this podcast was the perfect opportunity to share them with each other, and with all of you! Borrowing inspiration from Oregon Trail and injecting a healthy dose of 2000’s era coming-of-age nostalgia, Keep Driving generates stories that will inevitably resonate players of a certain vintage.

Aside from being a potent ‘interesting-situation’ generator, Keep Driving is also a compelling resource management game as the player strives to keep all the needs of your driver and passengers topped up while battling against the trials and tribulations on the road. Flat Tires, Check Engine Lights, and Low Gas indicators come for us all, but Bryan and Josh did their best to keep moving down the road. So listen in as we recount our stories of life behind the wheel…

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Down Memory Lane

Josh - Farewell to Youth

Songs Used:

Westkust - Swirl

Crystal Boys - Gold

Crystal Boys - Nightlife

Zimmer Grandioso - Hometowns

Zimmer Grandioso - Cowboy Pills

Westkust - 0700

Fucking Werewolf Asso - The Tito Beltran Massacre

Westkust - Drown

Westkust - Weekends

Holy Now - Wake Up

Bryan and Josh recently took off the gloves and picked up a katana to play Shogun Showdown, a kinetic turn-based tactics game that has you dispatching waves of enemy warriors through careful positioning and timely deployment of combat skills. Sporting roguelike and deckbuilding elements along with a strong Japanese-inspired pixel art aesthetic, Shogun Showdown is surprisingly deep for operating on a 1-dimentional battlefield. Like most of the guys’ favorite roguelikes, the game allows the player a great deal of choice in how you build out your own ninja and each run is always giving the player a new view into how to best take out your samurai and ninja foes. So dodge that incoming ninja star and tune into Bryan and Josh’s discussion on the finer points of ninja tactics as they discuss Shogun Showdown!

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Combat Dancing Poem

Josh - One Dimensional Greatness

You're on a path in the woods, and at the end of that path is a cabin. And in the basement of that cabin is a Podcast… I mean Princess. In this episode Bryan, Josh, and Clint steel their nerves and descend the staircase to discuss Slay the Princess. Developed by Black Tabby Games and released for PC in 2024, Slay the Princess was developed as a side project to support the ongoing development of their other game Scarlet Hollow. And what a side project it is! Boasting a dizzying variety of possible outcomes, Slay the Princess is a fascinatingly broad and cerebral visual novel that explores a lot of interesting themes in a very economical approach to storytelling and a stylish black and white hand-drawn aesthetic. However, what starts as merely a provocative 4th wall breaking narrative eventually gives way to something even more surreal and captivating. So grab your dagger… I mean headphones… and listen in as the guys explore the multitude of ways to Slay the Princess! But remember: Its a love story…

Show Notes:

The Egg by Andy Weir

Three Word Reviews:

Bryan - Personality Uncertainty Principle

Josh - Power of Story

Clint - What Just Happened

Have you ever wanted to play a turn-based city builder that’s inspired by Luck be a Landlord and Islanders? That’s drenched in a stylish cyberpunk aesthetic and boasts intricate tactical depth? One with a dark sense of humor and killer hip-hop inspired soundtrack? Well you’re in luck! Josh’s latest game, Neongarten, is releasing on April 22nd, 2025 on Steam!

As is tradition, Bryan and Josh sat down to record a podcast about the game, its inspirations, and the process of creating it. Neongarten was a novel experience for Josh to develop for a variety of reasons, not least of which was working in 3d and a new engine, Godot. This time around Josh also partnered with Goblinz Publishing to take the game to the next level. With the initial prototype finishing up just ahead of the birth of his second child, Neongarten has been a game that’s grown alongside his own family and alongside his own craft as a game developer.

So listen in as Bryan interviews Josh about how he riffed, fixed, and remixed his way to creating the game he envisioned those many months ago, and check it out when it releases on April 22nd, 2025!

Show Notes:

Neongarten Steam Page

Goblinz Publishing

TinyMass Games

Neongarten’s Composer, Joel Kent, is part of Audimus

Dex is the album that helped inspire the game